Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

Beautifully cuddled amidst the Southern Western Ghats, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary shelters a large variety of flora as well as fauna. Located in the beautiful state of Kerala, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is the most populated Sanctuary of India. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is shadowed and receives less rainfall. Hence, it has rugged terrains due to scanty rainfall. The forest is located 18 km from Marayoor in Idukki District of Kerala. The place is a protected forest and is a large part of the southern region of the park, which comes under the jurisdiction of Eravikulam National Park.

A large part of the northern area of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and the Eastern part of the park comes under Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary. The park is thus divided into these major segments, as this in itself is a really big forest to be managed totally by one jurisdiction. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and the surrounding area of the Western Ghats has been considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.

Visitors can take pleasure in nature walk along the Chinnar River and Pamber River banks. While walking on the banks of these rivers, one can also locate the grizzled giant squirrel. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is an amazing place for trekkers also. One can enjoy the scenic beauty of the nature while trekking towards Thooyanam Waterfalls. Tourists can also enjoy camping activities here.

Geography
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary receives an annual rainfall of 500mm, which this sanctuary receives in a span of about 48 days. This happens because this sanctuary falls in the rain shadowed part of the Western Ghats. The altitude of the place differs from 400 m to 2522 m, which is the height of the highest peak of the area - Kumarikal Malai. Chinnar River and Pambar River, flowing through this forest area, are the two perennial water resources of the sanctuary. Chinnar River originates near Kumarikal Malai, while Pambar River originates in the Anaimudi Hills and is joined by a number of other small streams and rivulets. The stunning Thoovanam Waterfalls, which lies deep within the sanctuary on the Pambar River, is a major tourist attraction of this sanctuary.

Flora
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary has numerous varieties of flowering plants. The Eco-region which is used for eco tourism encompasses mostly grassland and wet grasslands flora. South Western Ghats mountain rain forests and high shola grasslands are at the higher western elevations. This helps numerous flowering plants flourish especially at this part of the Western Ghats. Southern Western Ghats with mid elevations contain dry deciduous and thorny scrub forests are formed at the lower dryer eastern edges of the valley. Numerous exotic species of Xerophytes are found at these parts of the forest. Marayoor Sandalwood Forests are also located at this part of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Fauna
One can find a number of Fauna species in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. These include panthers and spotted deer. Apart from these, the Sanctuary is also an abode of Indian tigers, elephants, Sambar deer, Bonnet macaque, Hanuman monkey and Nilgiri Tahr, Common Langur, Gaur, rusty-spotted Cats and about 240 of the only vulnerable Grizzled Giant Squirrels in Kerala are also being sheltered here. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary also shelters exotic varieties of birds, as the kind of climatic conditions present here are difficult to find anywhere else in Kerala. 52 species of reptiles are found in the sanctuary, including 29 species of snakes, Indian Star Tortoise and Mugger Crocodiles are also endangered animals which are found here.